


Day One Hundred Twenty-Six || Authority Figure

by 365daysofsasuhina



Series: 365 Days of SasuHina 2019 [126]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-07
Updated: 2019-05-07
Packaged: 2020-02-27 15:53:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18742219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/365daysofsasuhina/pseuds/365daysofsasuhina
Summary: He never really wanted a position of leadership...but that's what Uchiha Sasuke's found himself with. But at least he doesn't have to go it alone.





	Day One Hundred Twenty-Six || Authority Figure

He was never quite...prepared for a role like this.

Sure, when he was young, Sasuke dreamed of rebuilding his clan and leading them into a peaceful future once free of Itachi’s menace. Before the massacre, however, he had no such plans. Second born, and behind a prodigy like Itachi, surely there was no point in aspiring to lead the clan.

Of course...even now, he’s second in line. Itachi’s revival means he’s still heir. But in all honesty...Sasuke’s just fine with that. He’s quickly grown sick and tired of politics over the last few years, and would be glad to never have to partake in them again.

Not that he’s  _ fully  _ free of it now. He still accompanies his clan to their (rather too often for his taste) meetings with their allies, the Hyūga. And there’s the occasional visit to Kakashi. Even Naruto manages to bring it up every once in a while.

Turns out, there’s no really getting away from politics completely. Especially when you’re one of the three last full-blood Uchiha left in the world...and all of you centered in Konoha. The village that, just over a decade earlier, sanctioned your bloodline’s near genocide.

...but at least not all is lost. There may not be any Uchiha women left, but...in all honesty? Sasuke’s all right with that. Maybe it’s best the Uchiha just slowly slip into obscurity. Not die out, per se...but step out of the limelight once their goals are met. Become a quiet, but well-respected family. No longer a powerhouse clan. Never again a powerful force. Just...happy people.

That’s all he wants.

Hence, as we come full circle, his job...in which he’s still managed to become some kind of authority figure. Itachi may lead the Uchiha, and Shisui may be the Rokudaime’s primary bodyguard...but Sasuke has taken up an old mantle. That being chief of police.

Of course, the force is a far cry from what it was. No longer solely Uchiha...or he’d be working on his own with his brother and cousin otherwise occupied. No, he garnered support from their allies, and the rest of the police - aptly dubbed the Uchiha-Hyūga Police Force - are Hyūga.

He’d gained inspiration from his brother, as per usual. Itachi, even before fully recovered from his revival, had planned to return to the ANBU. He now serves as its highest head beneath the Hokage: leading, organizing, and watching over the entire underground force, answering only to Kakashi.

But ANBU, most typically, handle affairs  _ beyond _ the village. Threats foreign, rather than domestic. In that regard, beyond the occasional jōnin, there really wasn’t any internal force to handle issues domestic.

Hence his making up his mind. Upon the conclusion of the war, the rebuilding of his arm, and the decision of his sentence, Sasuke had fully intended to leave Konoha for a good long while...years, most likely. Partly to think over his life, his decisions, and his bonds. But mostly to look over the world, see how it’s changed, and will continue to change. Guide it from the shadows. Protect it, unseen.

...but then his brother was brought back, and...well, here we are.

So, his plans have shifted to a much...smaller, more manageable scale. Rather than police the world...he will do so with Konoha. Ensure the removal of the dead, rotting roots and branches. Bring it back to a former glory. Shape it into a village he will now be proud to live and love in. Remove its shady underbelly, and bring its shadows to the light.

The latter issue, however, has taken some...getting used to. Ever since losing his clan, he’s tried to avoid the spotlight. He wanted nothing more than to go about his business - chase his goals - without any interference. To be brought to the forefront, to be made a spectacle, to have to be watched and observed? It wasn’t ever what he wanted.

But that’s part of his goals, now. Reconnect with the village that had grown to hate them, despise them, be frightened of them. Prove to them - through work in the open - that he, and his clan, are good people. That they still want to serve and protect the people of Konoha. Make it better place. So being seen isn’t something he can avoid anymore.

At times, he’ll watch Naruto with his work in the Academy: giving demonstrations and mini-lessons to the students there. Lurking beyond the fence, there’s a kind of...longing as he sees how easily Naruto handles such a role. How adored he is. How loved and admired and respected.

Granted, he knows many of his actions have tarnished his reputation. He and his brother both. Leaving that behind, and forging new identities, isn’t going to be easy.

...but he still envies the blond in some small ways.

He can’t be brash, or forward, or charming. His is a quiet confidence, never overbearing like the Uzumaki’s. When he addresses those in need of his help, he’s straight to the point: polite, but also avoiding any rambling or needless words. He wants to get his job done, do it well, and not take up any more time than necessary.

People seem to respect it. Maybe appreciate it. But it’s clear they don’t gravitate to his cool level-head the way they do Naruto’s warm charm.

Sasuke supposes that’s...just how it is.

But one thing seems to have helped balance that out. And that’s his partner, Hyūga Hinata. Though also more quiet like himself, there’s a kindness and care to her manner he can’t match. While Sasuke handles the business side of their work, she takes to the more...personal side.

He’s still not sure how she does it, but...she does. And all with the grace of someone with just as much authority as himself. She was, after all, an heiress at one point. No longer, of course - she gave up that chase in favor of one of her own making. That being growth for her own growth’s sake. For herself. No one else. Not her father, her sister, Naruto...only for the timid, defeatist little girl she used to be.

You’d never know it, now.

Wrapping up a case, they leave the victim’s home with the stolen property returned. They can finally call it a day, and he’s more than eager to head home.

“Hey, would you like to go get some dinner?”

...well, maybe he’ll go home later.

“Sure. What were you thinking?”

“I’m craving some yakiniku, honestly. Something heavy - I’m  _ starving! _ ”

That earns a chuckle. “Yes, ma’am,” Sasuke replies.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just following orders, ma’am. You seem pretty dead-set. I’m not about to challenge your authority.”

She just laughs in response. “Is the chief of police really going to roll over that easily?”

“...only for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Done a little early for once, and without screaming eyeballs! Woohoo! xD
> 
> Just a lil introspection from Sasuke's side about his role in Konoha post fourth war. ALAS has a completely different focus after the war, and its own plot. In it, Sasuke rebuilds the police force with their allies, and helps keep Konoha safe from the inside. While Itachi, clan head and ANBU captain, does so from the shadows, and the outside. Shisui's made a bodyguard to Kakashi, so...all three of them have very powerful positions in the village. As they should to help guide it, after living through so many of Konoha's mistakes!
> 
> ...but I'll stop there before I go on a tangent xD I do have to note, though, that I write from Sasuke's POV far more often than Hinata's...which I find interesting. Not really sure why I do that. Guess his muse is just stronger with me than her. I'll have to try to give her more attention, haha!
> 
> That's it for tonight! Thank you so much for reading n_n


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